Pinellas County may turn an old school into affordable housing for teachers
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Schools across the country are doing what they can to keep teachers, even building apartments, and Pinellas County Schools looks to do the same with an existing building to help its teachers.
The old Tomlinson School building in St. Petersburg could be the next home for dozens of teachers and staff as developers submit proposals for apartment developments of the building.
"It was built in 1924. It was originally St. Petersburg Junior High School. These would be very popular on the open market in this location. So, to give our teachers an affordable place to live here, I think is very unique," said Clint Herbic, the associate superintendent of Pinellas County Schools.
It’s a unique move to keep teachers where they are because of the high cost of living. The Pinellas Educational Support Professionals Association said it could be the answer to keep people in the district.
"A lot of educators, including teachers and support staff, are looking at other counties to move out to go to work because the inflation and the housing is lower," said Nelly Henjes, the president of PESPA. "Support staff are the lower income employees, and a lot of them have been homeless and a lot of them they cannot pay housing."
The old Tomlinson School building in St. Petersburg could be the next home for dozens of teachers and staff as developers submit proposals for apartment developments of the building.
So Henjes said they could really use what the former classrooms have to offer. The National Education Association said its research department compiled a memorandum in September 2022 on this issue, which found that "More than one in ten educators (12%) reported that making rent or mortgage payments was a moderate to serious problem in the year before the pandemic versus 16% after the pandemic had started." NEA said the percentages include educators, which means both pre-K and K-12 classroom teachers, school bus drivers, food service workers, custodians, paraprofessionals, and more.
READ: Bible verse painted on paid parking spot at Pasco County school isn’t a violation, officials say
An NEA spokesperson told FOX13, "The National Education Association supports measures taken by some local unions and their school districts to negotiate and advocate for affordable housing solutions in addition to increases in salary and other benefits." NEA added that affordable housing measures cannot replace the need to increase wages for teachers and other education support professionals.
It’s the first time Pinellas County Schools has proposed teaching housing to solve the teacher shortage and housing crisis, but it’s not a new concept. A San Francisco area school district said its teacher housing project was a hit.
Jefferson Union High School district in California took a chance with teacher housing, and it paid off.
The project is a unique move to keep teachers where they are because of high cost of living.
"We built it. We opened it last spring, and this is the first year in many years that we began the school year fully staffed. We had a teacher in every classroom," said Toni Presta, the superintendent of Jefferson Union High School District.
Presta said her schools just outside San Francisco were the first in the country to build apartments for educators, renting them at half the market rate and getting double the return.
"We were able to recruit teachers from across the country who want to come and live in San Francisco but can't afford to. And so we really were able to be selective in who we were hiring, more selected than we had been able to in the past," said Presta.
Presta added that other school districts that consider building housing for educators and school staff should be thoughtful and comprehensive about the project and get input from the surrounding community.
The Pinellas Educational Support Professionals Association said the concept could be the answer to keep people in the district.
"Don't just have a building with apartments. We built a building where we were thoughtful about having laundry facilities on every level because people have the same schedules," said Presta. "We have like a playroom in the building, we have playrooms outside. We have a bike room so that now a lot of people are able to commute to work on their bikes."
READ: EPA awarding nearly $1 billion to schools for electric buses
Pinellas County Schools hopes to do more for its teachers with an existing building.
"It is a recruiting tool. It will be a recruiting tool without a doubt," said Herbic.
Teachers and staff said they look forward to what’s next.
"The district is understanding the issues and the situation the employees are going through. It’s a good plus for all of us," said Henjes.
The Pinellas County school district currently has a request for proposals out, so developers can get their ideas in by February. School administrators said they hope to choose a developer in March or April after seeing what the options are to help teachers and staff live where they work.